MINNEAPOLIS — Arkansas senior guard Dusty Hannahs hit an off-balance three-pointer from the right wing with four minutes remaining to extend the Razorbacks’ streak of games with a made three-pointer to 910.
But that was one of the few positives on a disappointing Tuesday night for Arkansas.
Minnesota used a 25-4 first-half run to turn an early deficit into a 20-point lead en route to a convincing 85-71 victory over the Razorbacks in front of an announced crowd of 8,997 at Williams Arena.
Big Picture
Arkansas: A team picked to finish fifth in the preseason SEC media poll that tapped Kingsley as the player of the year, the Razorbacks must make some significant improvements to be competitive in a Dec. 17 game against No. 22 Texas. With an influx of junior-college transfers, chemistry is a work in progress.
"They're still learning how to play with one another," coach Mike Anderson said.
Minnesota: After finishing as the third-worst team in the Big Ten in defense last season, with the second-highest percentage of 3-pointers allowed, the Gophers have been markedly better, beginning with the fundamentals of cutting off baseline drives and rotating over to help. Lynch's shot-blocking presence is a big boost too.
UP NEXT
Arkansas returns home on Monday to host Mount St. Mary's, the first of five straight home games.
-Associated Press
The defeat continued the trend of struggles away from home for the Razorbacks (3-1), which fell to 0-6 in nonconference road games against Power 5 foes during Mike Anderson’s six seasons as coach. The Hogs were beaten soundly in the first Division I game away from Walton Arena for six of their newcomers, turning the ball over a season-high 21 times, mistakes that led to 26 Minnesota points.
“It was uncharted water for them,” Anderson said. “There was a little nerves going. It was very obvious, because we don’t turn the ball over. That’s one thing we pride ourselves [on], to play the way we want to play. And we didn’t even play that way tonight.”
Arkansas never got closer than 14 points in the second half after trailing 42-25 at halftime. The Hogs finished with nearly as many turnovers and fouls (24) as made field goals (26).
“We’ve just been being really sloppy,” Hannahs said. “It wasn’t like this was a random occurrence. We’ve been turning the ball over a lot. That’s something that’s got to change.”
The 21 turnovers were the most for Arkansas since it also committed 21 in an NCAA Tournament loss to North Carolina in 2015.
Six Minnesota players scored at least 10 points, led by freshman Amir Coffey’s 19. Junior guard Nate Mason added 13. Coffey and Mason each hit two three-pointers, while Akeem Springs made three from beyond the arc and finished with 11 points. The Golden Gophers made 9 of 15 from three-point range, exploiting a weakness of Arkansas, which entered the game ranked 233rd in the nation in three-point defense.
“Our balance has continued to be a great strength for us,” Minnesota Coach Richard Pitino said. “Nate Mason is just being so solid for us, seven assists. We had some turnovers at the end that we needed to take care of, but any time you’re winning by double digits versus a good SEC team with talent, we’re proud of it.”
The Hogs opened their first road game of the year with their lowest-scoring half of the season, shooting 28 percent from the floor and turning it over 13 times. Minnesota hit six consecutive shots during its mammoth run to shake off a cold start and stake a big lead.
Hannahs led Arkansas with 20 points but didn’t attempt a three-pointer until hitting with four minutes left to extend the streak. Arkansas finished 1 of 8 from three-point range. The Razorbacks scored 46 points in the second half, but couldn’t get enough stops to mount a comeback.
“Hannahs is one of the best three-point shooters in the country, so we did a really good job on him,” Pitino said. “[Defending against three-point shots) normally on the guards, but if they set up all the screens, it’s on the bigs. I thought we, from a scouting report standpoint, did a really good job.”
Daryl Macon scored 12 for Arkansas, but missed all four of his three-point attempts. Jaylen Barford also added 12. Moses Kingsley fouled out late with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks, the third game with 10 or fewer points in four outings for the preseason SEC Player of the Year, who averaged 15.9 points per game a year ago.
“We didn’t establish the inside,” Anderson said. “Give Minnesota credit. I thought they did a good job packing their defense. … We got it in there, but we didn’t get anything out of it.
“We weren’t an efficient team. That’s a learning curve for this basketball team.”